While there are lots of new tools and gadgets that you can use to begin exploring the opportunities of digital social innovation, for many of us this will involve learning a new skill or expanding on existing knowledge.

You can gather this information for free and informally online, but there is increasing demand for more structured online learning formats – and that is where the ‘MOOCs’ (Massive Open Online Courses) have sprung up to meet this demand.

Lots of information is now available to the beginner or early stage coder, whether that be learning to code in your web browser with Codeacademy, finding out about a range of more academic focused subjects through Coursera and Udacity, or interacting with video content and creating bespoke courses over at TED-Ed.

These all represent varied ways of providing a variety of multimedia and interactive resources that create access to learning experiences and knowledge that was previously only available face to face within a more institutional environment. It builds on the tradition of the Open University concept, pioneered through the use of TV to broadcast lessons en masse.

However, the potential for interactivity and real-time support from online groups is adding new dimensions to the experience and offers are improving all the time.

A directory of all these new courses has sprung up over at Class Central to help you find out which one suits you.

Contact Peter Baeck or Alice Casey to find out more about DSI and add yourself to our map.